LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego men's tennis team picked up a solid 6-1 victory over Navy Friday at Northview Tennis Courts.
 
INSIDE THE MATCH
Final Score: Navy 1, UC San Diego 6
Team Records: UC San Diego 5-12; Navy 10-16 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons took a 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point. At No. 2, UC San Diego's William Lan and Eric Silberman dispatched Nicholas Nguyen and Christian Pumpelli by a 6-2 score. In the next match-up to finish, Tritons Pelayo Rodriguez and Daniel Traxler fell in a hard-fought battle against Herrick Legaspi and Gavin Segraves, 7-4 (7-5) at No. 1. In the No. 3 contest, Joseph Teh and Diogo Tinoco came through with a 7-5 victory against Aniketh Ayinala and J.J. Etterbeek to clinch the point for the Tritons.

In singles action, Traxler won in straight sets at No.1, Phillip Lan won in straight sets at No. 2, and Jett Cole won in straight sets at No. 6. Tinoco (No. 3) and Charles Qian (No. 5) were winners for the Tritons as well, out-swinging their opponents to collect victories that went to a third-set tiebreaker. Lan's win proved to be the match clincher for UC San Diego.

RESULTS
Doubles
1. Herrick Legaspi/Gavin Segraves (Navy) def. Pelayo Rodriguez/Daniel Traxler (UC San Diego) def. 7-6 (7-5)
2. William Lan/Eric Silberman (UC San Diego) def. Nicholas Nguyen/Christian Pumpelly (Navy) 6-2
3. Joseph Teh/Diogo Tinoco (UC San Diego) def. Aniketh Ayinala/J.J. Etterbeek (Navy) 7-5
Order of Finish: 2,1,3

Singles
1. Daniel Traxler (UC San Diego) def. Gavin Segraves (Navy) 7-5, 6-3
2. Phillip Lan (UC San Diego) def. Herrick Legaspi (Navy) 6-2, 6-4
3. Diogo Tinoco (UC San Diego) def. Nicholas Nguyen (Navy) 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 1-0 (13-11
4. J.J. Etterbeek (Navy) def. Pelayo Rodriguez (UC San Diego) 6-4, 6-2
5. Charles Qian (UC San Diego) def. Aniketh Ayinala (Navy) 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (10-2)
6. Jett Cole (UC San Diego) def. Christian Pumpelly (Navy) 6-0, 6-3
Order of Finish: 6,4,1,2,5,3

WHAT HEAD COACH TIMMER WILLING HAD TO SAY
"The goal today was to put aside all aspects of this week and the coming week of finals and be in the moment for three hours. Try to focus and enjoy the competition with an always mentally tough Navy team. They never go away no matter the score and keep coming so we had to remain focused. Doubles almost slipped away but were able to hold on and get the point. Then, Jett Cole came through quickly, along with Daniel Traxler, to get us a couple quick singles points to keep the lead and eventually clinch the win with Phillip Lan. It's a great end to the quarter and now it's time to place all focus on finals and academics." 

UP NEXT
UC San Diego is off until March 30 when the Tritons take on Portland State in Honolulu.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.